Angel in Disguise
by iDrinkLatte
Summary: 'I will love you as long as the the sun burns in the sky, as long as the moon shines its light into the dark night, until the raging blue oceans become calm and dry, I will love you until the end of time.' - Christy Ann Martine
1. 1

CHAPTER 1:

Anariel curls up on the scratchy train seat, her almond eyelids droop as if bearing burdenous weights and yawns into her blanket. Her vision blurs as she stares outside the window through her black-rimmed glasses into the darkness.

Her eyes flutter shut, hiding her amethyst eyes, a lock of disheveled raven hair grazes her delicate cheekbones and parted lips as her head leans against the cold window- listening to the hum of the train- everything around her goes quiet.

'Can't keep his hands off me, love.' Grace says to Karl, spotting Anariel snug asleep.

'Behave yourself!' Graham whispers, seeming embarrassed.

'Never!' Grace grins and looks back at Graham.

Moments later, the train comes to an abrupt halt, throwing Anariel, Grace and Graham, and Karl forward.

She jerks awake, her glasses wonky as she looks around in fright, spotting Grace walking past her.

Anariel fixes her glasses as she grips the seat to pull her body up, still heavy with the desire to sleep.

'I'm comin' with you.' she informs Grace in-a-matter-of-fact tone, stifling a yawn.

As Anariel stubbornly trudges after the woman, she blinks away the tears in her eyes, the eerie absence of lighting keeping her on edge. She cranes her head past the older woman's shoulder, her head poking out the train door, and sees that all the doors up along the train are open.

Anariel furrows her eyebrows as she lowers her line of sight, looking down at the track, squinting.

_That's a big jump... _She pulls her head back inside. _Seeing as there's no platform._

Anariel watches Grace scan the other side of the train, presuming nothing was there- until she hears rushed footsteps.

'What're you doing?! Don't go on the track, it could be live!' Grace calls out.

She moves to look outside again, seeing people jumping down, about three or four people- one stops and turns to Grace.

Anariel takes a step back, she feels the adrenaline in her body do it's job, spotting the show of fright on the man's face.

'Get off of there!' he shouts, infecting Grace with his fear.

Anariel hears a clank and glances at the door handle in alarm, seeing Grace's attempt to open it.

'Graham! The doors just locked, we're shut in. I can't get them open.'

Grace rattles the lock as Anariel turns her head to see Graham and Karl run towards them.

The raven-headed adult stumbles and grabs onto another seat, keeping her upright.

'Something's wrong.' Grace utters.

Anariel's eyes dart to the door connecting the carriage. She drags her body to the closer to the

door and squints her eyes as she bends down, stretching her neck to look more carefully and opens her mouth, 'There's definitely another person on the train who wants something to do with us and—'

Anariel abruptly pauses, taking another step forward, her forehead against the glass window of the door as she peers through. She squints and opens the door for a clearer vision, only to still.

'—I can see them. They're coming down the train.'

Anariel stares into the darkness a bit longer. She jolts in fright at the sudden spark of electric-like light followed by a brighter and bigger spark, illuminating the interior of the train and her face. The light pierces her eyes as if to hypnotise her- it keeps her awake.

Anariel's back hunches as she rubs her eyes in pain.

'Right, get away from the door,' Graham pulls Ariel away, surprising her, 'Grace, get to the back of the carriage. Get to the back!'

She jumps and hurriedly shuts the door, spinning around to sluggishly run to the other end. Anariel slows down when she sees Grace pick up her phone to do something- soon knowing she was making a call.

'Ryan, love.' Grace says quickly.

_It can't be that Ryan_. Anariel furrows her eyebrows as she helps Graham, barging the door with her shoulder.

She hisses in pain as she rubs her shoulder, rolling it a few times.

'Grace, get back.' Graham demands in a worried tone when Grace moves away from then. Anariel sneaks after her, discreetly leaning against the side of the seats when she passes them. She lowers her head, her eyelashes tremble, and bites her bottom lip, struggling to maintain a clear head.

Anariel holds back a whimper when the creature breaks through the door with another spark, flinging the debris of the train towards them.

Realising that Grace still wanted to go forward even though they were already cornered, Anariel weakly tugged the older woman's sleeve, unknown how pale her face looked, and urged the woman behind her- she hates how she feels so frightened- Anariel's gaze landed on the creature, flinching when she saw its appearance in deeper clarity.

In front of her hovers a writhing ball of thin black tentacles, similar to a groups of snakes- like Medusa's hair in legends- all coiled together lashing out their sharp fangs and unnerving tongues. The crackling of what seemed to be electricity brought it a heightened sense of danger.

She stares at it, her eyes shaky as she hears Grace retreat, relief washing over her.

'What is it?' Graham stares at it from behind the bar, his face illuminated.

'I've no idea,' Grace replies with fear laced in her voice.

Anariel takes a small step back, tripping over nothing onto the shattered glass just after the others get into a small huddle with Graham trying to open the door.

She releases a sharp gasp, feeling a piece of glass gash her hand and she desperately pushes herself up while wiping the blood onto her sweatshirt.

_...Hurts_. Anariel whimpers, soon questioning her hearing when she hears an incoming yell.

She looks up just in time to see a figure crash through the roof of the train. They crash onto the floor face down with a thud as material is flung everywhere.

Anariel freezes, it's as though her heart has stops beating once her eyes lands upon the figure- a she- who jumps up. Her stunning face fills her sight as she looks at her, her green eyes leave her stuck in place.

In the same moment, she feels a dormant volcano of happiness erupt inside of her, euphoria replaces her blood— it's as though she was waiting for this moment for forever.

_Theta_. A strange voice speaks in her head, it sounds like hers.

'What?' The Doctor asks her, confusion evident in her voice as she snaps Anariel out of her stupor.

Anariel grabs the blonde's arm, pulling her closer, noting her wonderful voice.

_I've waited much too long for this._ Anariel becomes utterly confused at her thoughts at the same time she turns the Doctor around to see the creature looming in front of them.

She furrows her eyebrows in confusion, _I swear the ring was warm for a moment... and who's Theta?_

The Doctor looks up to spot cables hanging down from the hole she created. She grabs a hold of a sparking cable, shoving it at the creature.

Anariel stares at woman, open-mouthed, as the cable shocks and fizzes it before it shoots back a few feet, squealing in pain.

Her feeling towards the Doctor leaves her stood motionless, her tiredness wiped away and replaced with countless questions.

_Is she Theta?_

'Should buy us a few seconds,' the Time Lord speaks to them, turning around and looks at Anariel at her injured hand, her gaze lingering on her confuzzled eyes for a moment.

Anariel meets her gaze and recalls how the shorter woman entered the train- her eyes moving up to glance at the hole in the roof, still wondering about the voice.

'Oh, yeah. Long story,' she looks around, 'Tell you later. Doors?'

'Locked shut.' Anariel answers.

'We'll see about that,' the Doctor responds, her hand reaches into a pocket, reaching deeper as she checks her other pockets with both hands, alarmed.

Anariel gazes worriedly at the Doctor, concern blatant in her eyes.

'No sonic!' The Doctor mutters.

_Why do I feel so pathetic? So useless?_

Anariel's lip trembles as she feels an unpleasant feeling emerge in her heart towards herself, like waves bombarding the shore.

'Empty pockets. Oh, I hate empty pockets!'

Anariel's eyes jump to the creature to find it creeping up, 'It's back up!

The Doctor spins around, seeing it writhing and fizzing.

Anariel's attention is caught by the fascination the Doctor has towards the creature, fear wracking her heart as the Doctor nears closer- the thought of losing her just after finally finding her almost frightened Anariel to death.

_Finally finding her?_

'What are you?'

Anariel furrows her eyebrows, her confusion and panic growing bigger.

'OK, you don't like questions, more of the private type, I get that.'

Relief washes over her as the Doctor ducks under the creature as it looms towards Karl. He retreats to the side of the train on the seats, his back against the window as he turns his head to the Doctor.

'Get it away from me!' He screams in fear, Anariel flinches, holding her unusual anger in, calming down when she hears the Doctor's voice.

'All of you, stay very... still.' She commands in a cautious manner.

'It's gonna kill us.'

'It could've done so already, you ungrateful wanker.' Anariel rebutted, stilling when she realised what she had said.

'Oi!' the lady whispers, 'She's right though, it could've killed us already.'

'Nan!'

Anariel squints to see a young man and a police officer run into the other end of carriage via the blown-out connecting door.

'Ryan! Stay away!' Grace shouts.

_It is him! And that's Yaz!_ Anariel's eyes widen.

'Oh my god!' Yasmin exclaims at the sight of the creature.

'Yaz!' Anariel calls out, immediately returning her sight to see the creature dart from the man, crackling angrily.

Strikes of fierce white energy fly out from the centre of the creature, hitting all of them in them collarbone area before whooshing through the whole the Doctor created, like a terrifying spectre, outside, vanishing into the sky.

'You four, relax, but stay put,' the Doctor turns the man, Grace and Graham, I'll check out the rest of the train,' she strides past Yasmin and Ryan, 'fat load of use you two were.'

'Hey!' Yasmin runs after her with Ryan right behind her.

The Doctor strides purposefully down the train as Anariel stands still, missing the worried glance the Doctor had directed at her. A vision plays in her head, too fast for her to act when she finally snaps out of it.

Confusion clouds Anariel's eyes as she the urge to sleep overwhelms her curiosity, prompting her knees to buckle a few moments later- everything seems too slow but so fast.

The last thing she can make sense of before she blacks out is a rush of a pair of footsteps and the hand that pulls her up.

It was very warm.


	2. 2

CHAPTER 2:

The pungent stench of blood, diarrhoea and nauseating chemicals suffocates Anariel as she hugs her shivering body. She can hear her blood pound in her head as her damp hair brings shivers down her spine.

She eyes the pollution of blood with corpses strewn about. She doesn't know if they are the residents of the planet she's on or their enemies'.

Anariel's gaze lingers on the icy waters of the lake from the cliff side she is stood on, her violet eyes screwed shut as she coughs, the bright sun barely manages to warm her body and her furrowed eyebrows furrow even more.

Incomprehensible mumbles leave her blue lips, her soaked attire consisting of torn bloodied camouflage uniform, the futuristic pistol hung on her waist was dull with no fuel to combust.

Ignoring the bloody water that sticks her torn clothes to her skin, prodding her gashes to writhe in agony as the damp moisture of the air reminds her of pain, Anariel falls on her bottom and prevents a cry of pain from leaving her mouth.

No sound other than breathing leaves her blue lips as she lodges her fingernails into the soil.

'Why is it always me?' Anariel's chest heaves, her vision blurry with sudden tears.

She sniffs and blinks in attempt to clear her vision, her head pounding, and looks at the silver ring on her finger.

It is worn and riddled with small scratches but the violet crystal embedded in the center of the band was always clear.

'Why am I the only one...' She whispers to herself, her voice unable to reveal how broken she is as the wind batters her, '...who hasn't found their soulmate yet?'

'I don't want to look anymore...'

The ring her finger glows warmly in response to her words.

_'You have to meet them.'_

'Why do I have to meet them, Gywn? They don't know I exist...'

_'So they know you exist.'_

'Why?!' She screams hoarsely.

'I tried, didn't I?,' she yells in between her sobs, the crystal glows brighter and pierces her eyes with its blaring light, 'Godammit, at least I did that!'

'I tried so many times...' Anariel's voice grows quieter, her eyelashes quiver, 'but I've never found them...'

_'You just have to keep trying.'_

'I don't want to try anymore!'

'It hurts so much... I've lost so much,' she mumbles, both the emotional and physical pain drive her mad, 'and they don't even know I exist... that they have me turning the universe upside down just to find them...'

'You know how much it hurts! Can't you do anything about it?!' she cries. 'Can't you just make me forget... to stop the pain... as I search?'

'Please?...' Anariel pleads.

Her vision blackens with the accompany of an answer.

_'Rest well...'_

-x-

Green and rust-coloured leaves float amongst the chilling wind as the moon shines in the dark sky.

Her body is slumped against a tree trunk, her bloodied arms hang downwards, dark purple eyes gaze dully at the luminescent moon, no flicker of wonder to be seen.

The pale sickly complexion she bears serve a strong contrast between her damp hair. The locks of raven hair, black as crows, blotched in dried blood amplify the bloody stench that displeases her.

Her empty purple eyes lose their focus as her quivering fingers poking out her long, slashed sleeves curl into the tree bark, her nails dig deep.

Anariel's rosy cheeks as she wheezes with unsteadiness make her all the more delicate.

Her drooping eyelids tremble along with her long eyelashes. A line of red leak from the corners of her lips, flooding her taste buds with the pungent flavour of iron, dying them a deeper red.

Anariel tilts her head forward towards the ground. Her parted lips allow her saliva and blood to drip out of her mouth, blemishing her teeth with crimson.

The raven-haired beauty's eyes flash with disgust as she closes her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed, disliking the displeasing taste as the dim moonlight bathe her in its light.

She stands still for a few minutes, catching her breath before her eyes land on the finger where her ring is.

Anariel breathes slowly to steady her heart and stands up, spotting her injuries worsen, anymore sudden movements would leave her collapsed on the ground.

She gazes at them for a moment before staring at the moon again to distract herself.

Her lips twitch as she scrunches her nose, going through what has happened.

'You locked my memories?' Anariel mumbles, her eyebrows furrow before tensing when she feels the Gwyn warm up.

_'The next time you will remember is when you meet your soulmate.'_ Gwyn replies.

'So I just wait?'

Anariel questions in a quiet tone.

_'Yes. Until then, you will constantly be reborn in different time periods.'_

Anariel's eyes widen with tears, her smile beaming joy, 'Thank you, Gwyn...'

_'You will regain the memories of all the human lives you have lived.'_

'What about my original body?'

_'It'll turn back in about seven to eight Earth days after you've found your soulmate.'_

The crystal sparks white, this time she welcomes it, and waits.

_I can finally forget all the pain..._

-x-

The Doctor eyes fix on Anariel's flushed face, her laboured breathing and her eyebrows knitted together in pain strikes her with worry.

'She's gotten worse...' The Doctor mumbles, looking at Grace was carrying her down the train with some difficulty.

'I'll carry her, you can go.'

The Doctor doesn't let her offer be rejected and takes Anariel from Grace. She puts an arm under the taller woman's knees and upper torso, keeping her chin on her shoulder.

The Doctor furrows her brows when she feels a certain area of Anariel's body emitting heat in pulses.

'The chain, there's something strange about it.' The Doctor tells Grace just as she was about to leave, her hold on Anariel firm.

Grace's fingers retract when they touch the chain, 'It's freezing!'

She tries again before spotting the ring glowing on the chain and pulls it, dropping it on Anariel's chest when it gets too cold.

Anariel's eyes snap open when the ring lands, her mind hazy and the countless memories leaving her confused. She takes a few moments, staring at her foggy lenses to sort herself out, looking lost, and turns her head around.

Her eyes widen when she suddenly feels the heat of her body and who is holding her- she also notes the two heartbeats and familiar energy her soulmate is brimming with.

_What's going on? And that dream... what was it?_

Anariel looks at the Doctor and frowns, lifting her hand weakly to remove her glasses.

'What happened?' She croaked, her throat was parched but she will still sleepy.

_'Your body is changing.' _Gwyn answered as the hues of light she was emitting, vanished.

'You suddenly fell, Ariel, and your body was burning up.' Grace spoke, uncertainty laced in her tone.

_'Get off her and the train first.' _Gwyn voices, _'I'll be hibernating now that you're beginning to receive your initial memories.'_

Anariel reluctantly gets out of the Doctor's hold, a bit wobbly, and tucks the ring back where it was.

Everything is so strange.

'I'm fine.' Anariel opens her mouth, she notes that her skin is not sweaty, unusual, and her clothes don't smell.

'I'll explain everything later.' She notes the injury from the glass gone and looks into the Doctor's eyes- utterly beautiful like her eyes are the universe itself- but she could somehow tell that the Doctor was much younger than her.

_So we're soulmates..._

Anariel glances the Doctor, not knowing that her body had sped up its reversion while the Doctor held her. She turns to Grace, 'Where're Yaz and Ryan?'

'Ryan is with her and Graham waiting for us in her car.'

Anariel pauses for a moment when she notices how her body feels strange. She turns to the Doctor who looks at her softly Grace leaves them at their own pace.

Anariel furrows her brows as she turns her head around, to soften when she sees the Doctor's worry.

'...Thanks for carrying me...' Anariel whispers, her eyelids drooping at the thought of how scary everything was at the moment. She didn't know what was going on, the dream was too real. The train hums, making her feel more lost as she spots that the Doctor is confused.

'You're welcome, Anariel.'

Anariel stills momentarily, _she said my name— _'How do you know my name?'

I know your name but you shouldn't know mine.

'Yaz told me.' She answers, raising her eyebrows in a questioning manner.

Anariel nods in understanding before pressing her lips together as she recalls the name of the race she was in her dreams.

'Have you heard of Sonvlians?'

'Sonvlians? It doesn't seem familiar...' The Doctor answers, now in deep thought but manages to see Anariel's crestfallen look.

_So I'm really the only one?_

Anariel tightens her grip on her blanket as she walks a bit faster, missing the Doctor's frightened eyes as she exits the train and winces from the chilly air.

_If even a Time Lord doesn't know, then it must be true. Wait, what's a Time Lord? _

Anariel bites her lip in frustration and slows down, glancing at the Doctor. She stops when the other takes ahold of her hand, interlocking her fingers tightly.

'Are you a Sonvlian?' The Doctor asks quietly, searching for a clue in Anariel's eyes as she looks up.

'No.' Anariel answers quietly, a few more bits and pieces of her memories resurface, and turns her head, not waiting for an answer.

_I fled and lost me wings after all..._

The Doctor hides the disbelief in her eyes, she pulls Anariel closer to her spotting Yasmin's car and Grace just shutting the car door. The Doctor's gaze lingers on the car, realising that Anariel said her thoughts out loud as she doesn't elaborate.

Anariel follows her gaze, stumped when she notices there is only the passenger seat available.

'I'll squeeze in at the back.' Anariel states a beat later.

'Or I could sit on your lap.' The Doctor offers, noting Anariel's surprised reaction.

'Huh?'

The Doctor doesn't repeat and pulls Anariel with her to the passenger seat, enthusiastically greeting Yasmin.

'Why?' Anariel whispers to the Doctor when she wraps the blanket around them both, _unless she can feel it too... but... this is still too much. What if she does?_

'You're cold.' The Doctor raises her eyebrow as she easily clicks the seatbelt in place, shutting the car door.

'I am?' Anariel questions, confused and feels her own forehead.

_She's right but... this isn't normal anyway._

'Ariel?' Yasmin calls out, worried.

'Yeah?' Anariel immediately turns her head and blinks when she sees Yasmin's uniform.

'Police officer Yaz! It's been a few years, amazin'!' She smiles, 'How're the shifts? Are the cases easy? Demanding? Are your co-workers nice?' Anariel pauses after a few questions when she feels the Doctor hold her hand and get comfortable.

_Why is Theta so close to me?! She definitely knows!_

'Still the same.' Ryan mutters.

'What?' Anariel asks, not knowing what he means.

'Your questions.' Yasmin elaborates happily, her frustration quelled.

'What about them?'

'That too.'

'Huh?' Anariel feels the Doctor relax against her.

'You're still too clueless.'

'No, and for the nth time, I'm not clueless! I'm better in academics than... whatever...' She turns her head away, grumbling and pauses when she feels the Doctor shuffle a bit under the blanket around them.

'Don't you have a report to make or something?' Anariel glances at Yasmin as she hugs the Doctor, resigning herself to the other woman's adorable actions.

'You just had to remind me.'

Anariel flashed a kind you're-welcome-smile.

''Course I do, why should I forget about the time when you bloody rolled me up like a burrito when I came over?'

'That was ages ago!' Yasmin exclaims in exasperation, 'Like seven years ago!'

'I still remember it!'

'D'you still remember when Ryan nicked your cake during your birthday?'

'Oi!' Ryan looks at her, annoyed.

'M'not answering.' Anariel spits, she notices the Doctor trying to hide her smile and gets butterflies in her stomach.

'So you do!' Yasmin laughs.

Anariel purses her lips

'And... you're still a kid.'

Anariel doesn't answer and nuzzles her nose in the crook of the Doctor's neck.

'You two together?' Ryan questions weakly.

'Yup!' The Doctor answers for Anariel, glad she knows what she knows about Solvians.

So she does know!

'So you know her name?' Yasmin raised her eyebrow.

'M'never gonna tell you.' Anariel snuggles closer to the Doctor, she wouldn't tell them what the Doctor didn't want her to know, feeling a bit tired and falls asleep.


	3. 3

**I changed the last scene in the previous chapter so it would be better to re-read it or it would be confusing. **

**Thanks a lot :)**

-x-

'I'm gonna be in so much trouble if they find out I was there.' Yasmin whispers frustratedly as she comes off the radio, driving the car, whilst Ryan, Grace and Graham peer through like eager children.

'Can we have the lights and siren on?' The Doctor blurts out excitedly as Anariel's head rests on her shoulder.

'No! Ariel's sleeping and I shouldn't be doing any of this!'

The Doctor looks away dejected before turning to the back, careful to keep Anariel comfortable, 'So you three know each other?'

'I'm his nan.' Grace replies, 'Graham's my husband.'

'Second husband.' Ryan adds.

The Doctor ignores Ryan's comment and looks at him, then Yasmin.

'And you two know each other?' The Doctor points at Yasmin.

'Yeah, Yaz and I were at school together,' Ryan answers, 'Ariel was a few years above and still like an older sister to us.'

'She used to be Yaz's neighbour so I guess she's more of a sister to her than me.' He glances at Yasmin who smiles smugly.

The Doctor made a sound of understanding.

Ryan gestures his head to the Doctor, 'You can hog Ariel until this is over. We haven't seen her in a few years.'

The Doctor breaks into a smile before she turns serious.

'And you say you just found it there, this thing?'

'Er, yeah. Pretty much,' Ryan hands her his phone, 'I took pictures.'

'Good lad!' The Doctor praises as she takes his phone, 'Now that's exciting!'

'No, not exciting, what do I mean, worrying!' She becomes confused.

'Fast as you can Yaz!' She looks at Yasmin whole she holds Anariel's hand.

She feels more secure by her, she knew Solvians naturally had such an effect but being their soulmate, the effect was much more overpowering.

-x-

'There's my bike.' Ryan points his torch with Yasmin next to him, leading the others.

'Why's it in a tree?' Anariel questions, hiding the pain from her headache.

'Got cross when I couldn't ride it and chucked it over from the top.'

'From the top?' She stares at him in shock before turning to Grace.

'We were giving him lessons.' Graham answers.

'Oh!' Anariel's eyes brighten, 'Throw it on the ground next time.'

She says to the Doctor, 'He's got dyspraxia, coordination disorder.'

'He's adorable when he works hard though, innit?' She turns to Grace with a smile.

_This headache is honestly going to kill me._

Yasmin raises a brow at the Doctor and the Doctor smiles, a bit smug.

'Anyway,' Ryan interrupts, somewhat annoyed but happy, 'enough about me!'

Anariel grins as she tugs the Doctor's hand in an immature manner, clueless about the Doctor's excessive pride towards her.

Ryan avoids looking at Anariel as he points the torch at a tree, 'The tree, to the left so it should be—'

Anariel knits her eyebrows in confusion as her eyes sweep through the bare patch of grass.

Ryan and Yasmin look alarmed as they turn to Anariel.

'It was definitely there.' Yasmin utters.

Anariel pulls the Doctor to the flattened grass, in the pattern of the bulb.

'Where's it gone? The Doctor mutters.

Anariel turns her head away to spot tyre tracks, she stills in realisation.

'Someone took it.' She points at the trails.

'How'd you know?' Ryan looks at her in confusion when he can't find anything where she pointed at.

'What d'you mean by 'How'd you know?' Anariel gets up to show him, 'Right here, tyre tracks.'

'But I can barely see any of them.'

Anariel looks up, 'But, here, here and here, you can't see these?'

'Hold on, is this related to what happened to her on the train?' Grace turns to the Doctor.

'What?'

'Seems like your body is reverting too fast,' The Doctor furrows her eyebrows as she feels Anariel's forehead, she's cold again, 'Do you have a headache?'

Anariel's eyes widen.

'But its supposed to take 7-8 Earth days.' She says to her, confused.

'What're you guys on about?' Graham looks at them, befuddled while Yasmin has an anxious look on her face.

'Soulmates,' Anariel points at her and the Doctor, 'I, was an alien, when I was decided to lock my memories away until I would find her afraid of knowing how long it would take.'

'I changed my biology into human's and since then have many lives which I have yet to receive the memories of.' She explains further.

'So at the moment, I've only got few of the memories, and my body's changing too fast than I previously predicted which is why I keep falling asleep.'

'I think anyway.'

'You're kidding.' Ryan looks at them both, so that's why you were so stubborn about travelling.'

The Doctor perks her ears.

'I dunno yet.' Anariel pauses, 'Hold on a sec.'

'You aren't supposed to be this warm, right?'

'What?' Doctor's eyes widen in realisation, 'Oh...'

'Ah...' Anariel catches on after seeing the Doctor's reaction. _She regenerated..._

'Ariel.' Yasmin looks at her.

'You went through it when?' Anariel asks the Doctor, hoping she was right.

'An hour ago.'

'So I've been copying your energy all along!' She exclaims.

Yasmin widens her eyes as she mind recalls what the Doctor had said.

'What I'm getting is that the energy that turned you into a woman, from an old Scottish man, is being reproduced by Ariel and it's speeding up her reversion.' Yasmin concludes.

'Yes!' Anariel jumps, 'That! Is! Correct!'

'Anyway- where'd the tyre tracks go?' She bends down in alarm.

'There.' Ryan points to the areas she pointed at.

Anariel doesn't answer as she squints, barely seeing them.

_Why can't I see them now?_

'Anyway, is it me or do you guys feel cold when you're nearer there?' Anariel gives up and changes the subject of their conversation.

Yasmin and Graham experiment and Yasmin looks at Anariel, surprised.

'It does.' She confirms.

'Which means it's come from somewhere very far away...' Anariel holds the Doctor's hand a bit more firmer as she speaks, her words gradually becoming slower, 'under extreme conditions...'

The Doctor catches her when she suddenly falls sleep, again, less worried than previously since she knows what's going on.

She looks at Yasmin and then at her police car.

'Let's go then.' Yasmin leads them to her car, helping the Doctor carry Anariel.

'Still can't believe this is happening.' Yasmin mutters as she grips the steering wheel. She turns her head to look at her surroundings.

'Which part?' The Doctor asks, this time with Anariel sat on top of her, she turns her head as her soulmate's hair tickles her nose.

'I'm fine with the alien stuff.' She says as she glances at the Ryan through the rear mirror who smiles in remembrance as she drives.

'Ariel said that aliens don't exist because we're all the same. Like Earthlings, y'know? Foreigners don't exist if we all call each other Earthlings. Same concept, just make the umbrella bigger. No more aliens, just other organisms like us.'

'Two weird things in one city, same night, making you nervous?' The Doctor looks at her at the same time feeling proud of Anariel.

'Yeah.'

'Me too.'

'I don't know how Ariel would react to that.' Yasmin looked at the sleeping woman with somewhat of a wry smile.

'Definitely a cuddle.' Ryan whispers, 'She's loves giving cuddles.'

The Doctor raises her eyebrows questioningly.

'And spoiling.' Ryan adds.

The Doctor only gets confused.

'You have no idea what she's like when she's full on big sister mode.' Yasmin gave him a knowing look, 'Or what now that she's attached to you.'

'What is she like then?'

'Okay, we had a chat one time about future relationships, and she said, 'I'll be the wife-y husband.'' Yasmin quotes, 'Husband, she said husband.'

'So?'

'She'll spoil you rotten.'

The Doctor looks at her in disbelief.

'Hugs, cuddles, biscuits, cooking, she's already tends to spoil and you're her soulmate. She's already protective.'

'Oh...'

'She'll understand if you don't like it though.' Ryan speak, 'Or...'

'She'll make you like them.' Ryan and Yasmin say in unison.

'Like what?' Anariel opens her bleary eyes only to fall asleep again just as Yasmin parks outside Grace and Graham's house.

Graham stares at Anariel with a weird gaze before beckoning Ryan to open the car door.

Grace, Ryan, and the Doctor all spill out of Yasmin's police car, the Doctor carries Anariel on her back as Grace carries her bag and blanket.

'I'll see if there've been anymore reports on that object.' Yasmin says.

'Good cause we'll need all the information we can get,' The Doctor replies, 'Meet us back here.'

Yasmin nods.

'I could have a word with some of my old pals from work,' Graham offers as Yasmin drives away, 'I mean, if you wanna know what's happening, ask a bus driver.'

'He always says that—'

'Yes cos it's true! I'd still be doing it now if I could.'

'I could search for weird stuff on social media.'

The Doctor nods at him as she stops Anariel from slipping.

'I'll check in with my nurses group in WhatsApp.' Grace follows up.

'Seriously though. Aliens?' Graham looks at the Doctor and Anariel.

'Yep!' She nods again.

'Yeah, maybe I won't mention that bit.' Graham says before leaving and the Doctor looks at Ryan and Grace.

'Could you hold Ariel for a moment?' She asks, 'Suddenly I feel really tired.'

'That was a big fall you had, love.' Grace places Anariel's things down and quickly takes her from the Doctor as she looks around, a bit woozy.

'We should get you checked out at the AE.'

'No,' The Doctor immediately refuses, 'I never go anywhere that's just initials.'

'Although...' she jabs a finger up her nose, 'Ah. Can you catch me?'

'You're gonna fall over?'

'In two minutes and nineteen seconds- wait, forget the two minutes- nineteen.'

'Oh, this new nose is so unreliable!' She complains as her eyes close, falling onto Ryan.

-x-

'Bah.' Anariel wakes up, stares at the ceiling, her eyelids occasionally droop and turns her head to the left to see Ryan scrolling on his iPad.

'Hiya...' She greets tiredly, feeling the Doctor leaning on her, also asleep.

'Still tired.'

'Mhmm... Hello, Ryan's nan.' She sees Grace come in.

'Do you feel like going back to sleep anytime soon?'

'Some time later, about a few hours, I think.' Anariel turns her head to see the Doctor asleep, beginning to glow with regeneration energy as a soft ringing enters her ears.

Anariel doesn't say thing and stares at the Doctor's sleeping face, affection flitting past her eyes as she smiles softly.

'Whoah.' Ryan looks at the Doctor's glowing skin as Grace comes closer to take her pulse.

'She's fine.' Anariel tells her to see Grace look up at her.

'She's got two separate pulses.'

'Two hearts,' She says quietly, 'equal twice the kindness.'

_Twice the pain... twice the capacity... the more I have to protect Theta as much as I can..._

Anariel fixes her gaze on the Doctor as a bubble of regeneration energy leaves to enter her body, sending her to sleep again.

'They really are aliens...' Ryan mutters.


End file.
